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ways. Possibly the man had withstood John's attempt to murder Arthur or had refused to do it himself; perhaps he had been involved in an honest attempt to help Arthur escape; perhaps he had been told to allow Arthur to "escape," and something had gone wrong. Before Alinor could ask, Sir Guy spoke again. |
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"My father disappeared the night Lord Arthur" the voice hesitated and Alinor wondered if Arthur had not been displayed because he had truly disappeared, but he went on after swallowing convulsively "after Lord Arthur was murdered." |
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"How? How do you know this?" |
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"I do not know how the murder was done, but a servant of ours, the only one left alive of all those who accompanied my father, told me that he saw my father, carrying a boy's body, jump from the keep walls into the river. The reason he saw this was that he had been running to my father to tell him that my younger brother had fallen from the castle wall into the bailey and was dying." |
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There was the accident that should have taken place. Alinor covered her eyes for a moment. Had the father substituted his son for Arthur in an attempt to save the prince? Had he then found he was too late, that the prince was dead already, and realized that no man who knew that would be allowed to live? Had he seen his son's fall and known the ruse had failed doubly, that he had made a useless sacrifice? In an extremity of hatred, had he taken Arthur's body to hide so that John would be blamed at the same time as he would be vulnerable to any claimant who rose up and cried out he was Prince Arthur, saved from death, come to overthrow the evil king? It was possible; it was very possible. Moreover, an honest son often predicates an honest father. |
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"Where were you?" Alinor asked breathlessly. "How came you to escape? How did your servant escape?" |
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"I was at home. My mother was ill. I have something, at least, to be thankful for. She died before the news of |
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